Meeting in the Graveyard
by Secret Spy Guy
Summary: Sitting on his parent's graves, begging them to come back, Danny has an encounter with the master of time, who offers him an opportunity to avoid becoming the thing he fears most. Will he accept?


**Spy Guy: I really should save this for angst day, but I'm going to try and force myself to write something else. XD. I hope I can do it. I should, to make up for my months of inactivity. **

**This one-shot is a kind of sequel to my other one-shot: "Council of Ghosts" in which the ancients decide that Danny has to come to the Ghost Zone to be the new king before he becomes Dan. You don't really have to read it to understand this one. :D It can pretty much stand on its own. **

**Disclaimer: Disclaimers are pointless. I'm not doing them anymore. **

**Enjoy!**

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Despite the bright afternoon sun bathing the clearing in its innocent glow, Daniel Fenton couldn't feel its warmth against his skin. All he could feel was the cold numbness that had descended upon his body after he had learned about his family…

After everything had shattered…

_"Daniel…Something has happened…"_

_Hell yeah…_ Danny spat bitterly in his mind. _Not just something…_**_everything_**_ Mr. Lancer. You don't understand…how could you? You don't know anything…_

His dark, black coat hung heavily on his tired shoulders, keeping his movements stiff and controlled. He knew that he acted like a machine, simply going through the motions of normal life. No one around him could possibly understand what the future held for him. No knew what he did…No one had seen what he had.

_"The mayor offered to take care of him. He'll do better than his real parents did."_

Already Vlad was shadowing him, telling him what to do…trying to mold him into a model child.

_"Something's different about you, man. Are you sure you're okay?"_

_Damn you, Vlad._ The boy hissed, clenching his fists at his sides. Anger swelled within him, mingling with his sour despair. His stomach hurt, and he had to struggle to keep down his meager breakfast.

Even in the sunlight, his parents' headstones looked old, as if they had been there forever. To him, it _felt_ like forever…Already his memories of them were becoming unreal. He felt as though he had always been alone…as if everyone had always stared at him with sadness and guilt…

The grass crunched beneath him as he knelt beside the graves, his hands automatically straightening an arrangement of colorful flowers. The boy pulled a single purple blossom from within his coat, and added it to the pile, his pale fingers lingering on the stem for a moment.

"Mom…Dad." He whispered softly, calling out to his parent's spirits. They were out there…somewhere, maybe listening to the faint tones of his voice, staying away in order to let him heal. But, he wasn't ready to heal…he wanted to see them again…or hear their voices, or feel their arms wrapping tenderly around his tired shoulders.

"Please, show yourselves. For just a few minutes. I need to—"

He knew he was begging…pleading with them to return. His words caught in his throat, and he growled with frustration.

_I'm tired of begging. Why won't you come?_ _I need you so much…but I can't say it anymore…I'm so tired of this._

Suddenly, the faint breeze stopped, and everything in the clearing became deathly still. Danny noticed the change almost instantly, and felt something heavy loop around his neck, swinging against his chest.

"Your parents' spirits are in heaven, Daniel." Said a low, fatherly voice. "No matter how much you call out for them, they will not answer. In their minds, their absence can only bring the change you need."

The boy cringed as a hand gloved in gray touched his shoulder. He turned, staring up at the ancient face of Clockwork…one of the last beings he had wanted to see.

"But the change I need…isn't the one that's going to happen, right?" The boy demanded, setting the flower amongst the others, watching as it became suspended in midair the moment his touch left it.

"There are always many things that could happen, Daniel." The time ghost continued, kneeling by the boy's side, his face becoming that of a mischievous child. "There always are."

"I don't care!" Danny cried, getting angrily to his feet, letting out a cry of frustration. "I want you to tell me if Dan is coming back! I don't give a damn about what _could _happen. Maybe _you_ get a rise out of that, but I'd rather know what's happening _now_."

Clockwork fixed the boy with his red eyes, allowing his body to shift to that of a young man. He floated upward until he was standing again, his expression stoic.

"As of now…Daniel…" The time ghost said confidently. "You already _are_ Dan. I can see him in your anger. You're turning your despair into rage. You are angry at Vlad…and myself…and the world. You hate how people look at you, feeling sorry for you. You hate how they all try to make you feel better. You think that their attempts are _futile_, and that none of them can ever take away the pain. Dan always claimed to have no emotions, but that was a lie. He simply turned all of his sorrow into rage…and that is _exactly_ what _you_ are doing now, Daniel."

The boy's eyes were wide, his body trembling. He gritted his teeth, already feeling the heat of his anger rising up within him. He wanted to retaliate…to make Clockwork take back all of the horrible things he had said. Green energy sparked on his fingers, filling them with unimaginable power, giving him what he needed to make the time ghost pay…

Then…with a cold rush of horror, he realized what he was thinking. He was acting just like Dan…

"Oh my…God…" Danny whimpered, staring fearfully at his hands, letting the energy seep away into the air, where it hung, suspended around him. He turned helplessly to Clockwork, who was once more, an old man.

"Clockwork…I'm sorry." The boy said, allowing his arms to fall limply to his sides. "My God…you're right."

A cold tear ran down his cheek, tracing a wet line over his skin. He didn't move to brush it away, allowing others to join it. A sob escaped his throat, sounding pitiful to his ears.

"Clockwork, I'm scared." The boy said through his tears, staring out, turning to the ghost in his despair. "Jazz isn't old enough to take me in. My grandparents are in retirement homes, and my only aunt refuses to have me. Vlad convinced her that it would be better for me if I was near civilization. He convinced her…to abandon me."

"I know, Daniel." The ghost murmured, pulling the boy into a tight embrace.

"Of course you do." Danny scoffed. "You see everything…you know what I'm going to be, and yet…you refuse to hate me…why?"

"Because I see everything." the ancient ghost whispered. "I can see you as many things all at once. I try not to judge you, Daniel. You are the only human who I have lever looked upon as a son. I want you to be alright… like a father would."

The ghost pushed Danny away, now a young man again. There was a slight smile on his lips, as he twisted his staff around, opening a portal.

"What--?" The boy said.

"Hush." Clockwork murmured. "Listen to me first. If you stay with Vlad…you _will_ become Dan. It is unavoidable. But…if you were to come into the ghost zone with me, you would be treated as a prince. I could teach you everything about the zone…about the people, the places, and of how it works. I could train you to be royalty, so you could…be king."

"King?" Danny asked, taking a step backward. "I can't…I'm not..."

"Forget I said that." Clockwork whispered, fading to an old man. "That doesn't have to happen if you don't want it to. It is ultimately your choice. Just as it is ultimately your choice to become Dan. Staying with Vlad will make that event unavoidable. But there are other things that you can do if you still wish to avoid me."

"Like what?" The boy cautiously whispered. "What else can I do?"

"Run away." Clockwork answered. "Turn yourself in to the Guys in White. Reveal yourself. The list is almost endless. I would like you to come with me…but it is ultimately your choice alone, Daniel. Not mine."

The boy stood, staring out at the ghost, his eyes wide and helpless…

"What happens if I chose one of those?" He asked, his voice trembling. A part of him wanted to know…and the other just wanted to disappear into nothingness…

Like his parents.

"I can't tell you, Daniel." The ancient ghost whispered. "I have to let you make your own choices."

"Then, I'll go with you." Danny replied, wiping away his tears. "I don't want to stay with Vlad...I-I don't even want to stay here, in this town."

"Then come." The time ghost said, changing into the form of a child. "You can leave this all behind."

Everything burst to life again as time resumed its movement. Danny watched as the flower he had brought finally fell to the grave, resting among the others. For a moment, he simply stared at it, before turning away...

Clockwork urged him to enter, and the boy nodded, moving toward the portal. Its swirling surface seemed to beckon him, calling him closer. The half ghost reached out, pushing his hand through, feeling the energy of the ghost zone wash over him.

He could faintly hear voices calling out, begging him to stop. He turned briefly, seeing Tucker and Sam running across the graves in their haste to reach him in time. For a moment, his heart clenched at the sight of his friends, but it was already to late. Another step took him through the portal...and into a new world...

A world away from all the looks, and the stares. A world away from pity and shame. A world away from Vlad...

And he never looked back.

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End file.
